THE HIGHLAND Institute for Contemporary Art (HICA) unveiled their impressive new exhibition space at Loch Ruthven, Dores, to open their 2010 programme last month. Northings spoke to Geoff Lucas and Eilidh Crumlish to discuss how this expansion will enable more ambitious programming and how they are attempting to reconsider the term Concrete Art through the work they exhibit there.

ALEXANDER SMITH: Can you talk us through the expansion and what it will enable the gallery to achieve?

EILIDH CRUMLISH: HICA opened in 2008, holding exhibitions in a small, purpose-built, white-cube space. As the first year progressed the shows all quite naturally expanded into the adjoining larger room. This larger room still functioned as a domestic space but it was clearly a space artists wanted to work with, especially the opportunity it gave to relate work directly to the immediate environment, with the views it has of the surrounding hills.

It was mainly the colour – a bright red – that prevented us from initially turning this over fully to being an exhibition area. Thanks to a generous donation from Fife-based paint manufacturers Craig & Rose, and an award from B&Q, we have been able to repaint the space, which makes a much calmer and more neutral gallery environment, one which doesn’t compete with the views outside.

Loch Ruthven, Dores (photo - Eilidh Crumlish)

We can now be even more ambitious with this new gallery in terms of programming, as it changes what was perhaps a slightly quirky project space to a substantial gallery space.

ALEXANDER SMITH: Apart from the space itself, which is very impressive, it looks out onto some genuinely stunning landscape. For me this prompted contemplation on conflict and harmony. Have many visitors commented on this and what are your personal thoughts on the relationship between the works and the visible landscape?

EILIDH CRUMLISH: We have had visitors’ comments along these lines and it is something we see as fundamental to how the space works – being able to judge things from different points of view, from that of the white-cube and the culture that might represent, to that of the hills and an idea of ‘nature’.

This gives different perspectives, not just on the actual artworks, but on the activities of making and showing artwork. The space explores the balance of natural and cultural settings in a related way to its exploration of the balance of form and content in the pieces shown.

This highlights the importance of context; the work meaning something different if viewed in one way or the other, and I’d think that all works we show purposefully engage with context in this way – investigating how meaning is created through a combination of work and its surroundings.

GEOFF LUCAS: One of the main aims of HICA is to create a suitable, appropriate environment for contemplating all this. The gallery allows visitors to be alone with the space and the work, though we are always on hand to discuss, or answer questions if need be. An art gallery can be an intimidating environment to enter, as we are so much in the landscape and on a working farm, with hens running around, and all sorts. We feel it makes it a less austere and more welcoming space.

The Highland Institute for Contemporary Art - HICA (photo - Eilidh Crumlish)

ALEXANDER SMITH: Could you provide us with some personal background on coming from Hackney and Edinburgh – how did you end up beside Loch Ruthven in the Scottish Highlands?

GEOFF LUCAS: In terms of background; we lived for a number of years in London and agreed that we would move to Scotland. Eilidh has family connections with Ross-shire and these have been a very important influence in her work. It made sense to move nearer these and the particular Highland landscape.

There are interests and enthusiasms in my own work, perhaps not so clear, that also make more sense in a rural environment, so our move has also been very beneficial from my point of view. Where we are now, and the HICA project, has focussed different elements very well for both of us, and enabled a much more unified approach to all our work.

ALEXANDER SMITH: With the term ‘Concrete Art’ having almost dropped out of usage, could you tell us a little about it’s principles and how HICA is attempting to reconsider the term?

GEOFF LUCAS: If you imagine a colour you might get a sense of how it makes you feel. Blue might make you feel calm; red, angry; yellow, warm; grey, cold; and so on. Concrete Art, in this example, starts from the proposition that the colour just has this meaning. It suggests that yellow might be inherently warm, grey might be inherently cold, etc.

So it developed through this approach to basic elements of artworks, primarily in non-representational painting and sculpture, in the first half of the 20th century. It gets more complicated, naturally: for instance, does everyone respond the same to the same colours? Can anything, even a colour, just be ‘itself’? Don’t we always understand something by it being like something else – “It makes me think of this, or it reminds me of that”?

Outside the HICA Gallery (photo - Jan van der Ploeg)

And if you objectify artworks in this way, what then are the edges of it … is it just what’s on the canvas, or does it include the frame, the wall it is hung on, the gallery it’s in, and so on. Mentioning the bright red of the previous HICA space would be a good example, where the intense colour strongly affected any painting hung on it, giving everything a red tinge, which might also have a psychological affect, ‘colouring’ responses to the work.

This could then illustrate how HICA is reconsidering these ideas through the manifestation of the shows and the space – how does changing an element, such as a wall colour, affect understandings? Concrete Art is a very easy and direct way-in to understanding artwork in this way: how does it ‘feel’? What sense do you make of it? In this way there’s nothing complicated about it.

HICA is partly about tracing the history of the movement, to gauge the extent of it’s influence. It seems that nearly all major art movements of the 20th century had some important relation to this area of thinking. So it’s quite staggering really that the term has dropped out of usage.

ALEXANDER SMITH: How does ‘Concrete Art’ reconcile with the current contemporary art scene?

EILIDH CRUMLISH: It seems to us that a great deal of what has come to be generally known as ‘contemporary art’ has roots in concrete ways of thinking; the ubiquity of Installation art would be a good example. Concrete Art is often connected with Modernism and has perhaps been out of fashion in our recent Postmodern times. HICA is investigating why this connection is made and whether Concrete Art actually stands apart from any discussion about Modern or Postmodern.

There are various strands to current Concrete Art activity: Minimalist or Geometric Abstract painting and sculpture continue as global phenomena. Our contention would be that Concrete thinking helps a general understanding of contemporary art. I mentioned Installation Art, but also Performance Art, Participatory artworks, Interventions – a very large proportion of what constitutes contemporary art could perhaps equally be understood as ‘concrete’.

Opening of the Jeremy Millar exhibition (photo - Susan Maris)

Richard Couzins’ work might illustrate this. He had one of the first shows at HICA (and has since become a member). He has also exhibited as a member of the Otolith Group, who have just been nominated for this year’s Turner Prize. I think Richard’s work is a good example of a contemporary interest in Concrete thinking, particularly in the way he uses spoken language: as sound as much as literal meaning.

One of the important things about Concrete Art, from the galleries point of view, is the directness of it, the fact that the work is immediately accessible to an audience on one level. In this way it’s not possible to misunderstand concrete art, there is no right or wrong way to look at it.

ALEXANDER SMITH: What are some of the issues running HICA in parallell with your own individual art practice?

GEOFF LUCAS: HICA has been a great way to combine our individual practice with more general concerns. It’s been a great way to pursue our own research, and it has really helped us in maintaining links, where distance could be a factor, as well as maintaining interest, when not getting to see art in other galleries might also be problematic.

EILIDH CRUMLISH: We run the space on a voluntary basis, so there are of course limits to the resources we can put into the project, though the time spent on it has been very valuable in other ways, and the balance of effort put in, to benefit gained, is becoming much more favourable to us as the project progresses.

Jeremy Millar installation (photo - Eilidh Crumlish)

ALEXANDER SMITH: HICA has a genuinely exciting programme for 2010, who are you particulary looking forward to exhibiting this season?

GEOFF LUCAS: Each show brings its own way of making something happen, so it’s very hard to say. We feel Jeremy Millar’s exhibition [until 6 June] works fantastically in the new space, and considers a sense of emergence, or unforeseen development, which is central to the creative process, in a quiet and meditative way.

Thomson + Craighead are working on a major new film piece and an intervention in the gallery’s picture-window as part of their show [20 June-25 July], which will further explore their concerns with a sense of location in time, which we’d feel will connect perfectly with the HICA space.

Esther Polak is the first international artist to have a solo show at HICA, and also the first artist to be working directly with the immediate environment of the gallery, using GPS technology to track the movement of farm animals.

The opening of her exhibition will be in conjunction with an event over a weekend in September, in collaboration with The Arts Catalyst, and the Outlandia project in Fort-William. Live performances are planned during the day as well as film screenings and talks in the evenings, which will make for a great day out as well as a memorable artistic experience.

Alec Finlay - Alien Bread

THIS LATEST exhibition at H.I.C.A provides an interesting meditation on language both visual and literary.

Poem-objects arranged as a high tea installation and a collection of tea moon spill prints with mesostic name poems by Alec Finlay present the viewer with a delightful interplay between text, form and materials. The show is beautifully presented with enough space around the work to encourage contemplation of each element.

High Tea consists of a number of works by the artist presented on a congenially laid table. Each object; the thought -cloud tea cups and saucers with transfer design (2007 edition of 150), the alien/ yield bread with imprinted text baked in a limited edition tin (2005 edition of 8), biscuits in the shapes of isles and lakes (Derwent Water, Rousay, Sado, Savil, Walden Pond, Westlake, edition of 1 metal biscuit moulds) and the mesostic jam and jelly (rowan, bramble, raspberry, redcurrant and marmalade) 2008-9, is embedded in everyday domesticity and social ritual.

Cast in the mould of poetic art object, the biscuits and bread juxtapose familiarity with unexpected form and text. This arrangement of art objects is both playful and an invitation for closer inspection. The loaf branded with the words alien and yield on its seemingly benign crust and the isles and lake biscuits arranged for polite consumption on an assortment of blue and white china add an interesting twist.

The most enjoyable element, however, is rhythmic – the play of language in mesostic form on the jam jars, beautifully accenting the contents within. The word MARMALADE, for example, vertically intersecting the horizontal lines of text; “lemon and green lime make delicious and acidulous lovers”, or ROWAN; “cluster orange awaken another autumn” roll on the tongue like the colour, texture and flavour of the jam or jelly they describe. Finlay’s ongoing exploration of haiku and renga poetic traditions together with his presentation of the poem-object within the installation are equally enjoyable.

His tea-moon prints (1-16, paper, tea and pencil) 2007-2009 have a simple, calligraphic quality rendered in tea stains as a medium for delicate drawing. The relationship between form and ideas is realised in the way in which the drawn mark echoes the sentiment or essential expression of the text. The solid premeditative circular stain of the first print, PUERH, 3 I 09 with the mesostic text; “ripen yourself prepare for thought”, or the drifting stain drawn from the edge of the paper of HOJICHA, II I 09; “how smoke just drifts curled within air” are good examples.

We are encouraged to contemplate the quality of each word by the presentation, pared down to the communication of essential ideas, thoughts or feelings. The poetic structure coupled with drawings created from spillage create an interesting dynamic and many of the meditations contain a warmth and positivity that is unexpected in a contemporary art space.

Alexander and Susan Maris have contributed THERAPEUTICUM (Friday Objects) 1996-2020 Artists Fly Fishing, consisting of a series of objects as a “piscatorial homage” to Joseph Beuys and his work on Rannoch Moor in 1970. The series of objects including: Friday Object No.1a Rannoch Brown Fly (Trout fly with brown body, copper ribbing & red cock- hackle) Size 14, edition of 1,000), Friday Object No.3 Reproduction Beuys vest and Friday Object No.4 Beuys Hat have an enigmatic presence in the gallery space, especially the iconic hat.

Beuys is a divisive and ambiguous figure in the history of art, and the Maris’s description of the work; “From the imaginary retrospect of a distant future, we conscientiously deconstruct a photograph encaptioned ‘Joseph Beuys – The Greatest Artist of the 20th C…’, in which the apparel of the mentor suggests that we should endeavour to master the Art of Fly-fishing” suggests not simply a homage but a critical examination, albeit a playful interrogation.

Whilst this idea is interesting, it relies too heavily on written explanation rather than on visual communication. Accompanying text not directly part of a piece of work may give insight as to the artist’s intent, inspiration or process, but it is no substitute for the work itself which will stand or fall all on its own.

The piece of visual work should justify the statement, not the other way around, and the Maris’s Friday Objects together with their Kettle works were visually dull. KETTLE from Heather Tea on Rannoch Moor 2005 consists of a display of twelve Trangia N025 Kettles used once to boil Rannoch water for heather tea and engraved with the names of each river where the water was collected.

Part of an Edition of 21 and with an accompanying DVD of each kettle boiling in its natural location, these are works which struck me as self indulgent and of little interest to anyone but the participating artists. The unique burn marks on each kettle as accidental marks along with the engraving differentiate them, but as a visual statement these multiples lack the meaning that only a written statement from the artist and a degree in art history can give.

Extracting the kernel of anything that promotes the question of “what is art?” is a useful catalyst for critical debate, so in that sense the Maris’s creative explorations are interesting intellectually perhaps, but not stimulating or engaging enough when approached purely in visual terms. There is a lack of equality between technique and ideas and a reliance on explanation secondary to the work to justify it.

This is an interesting well presented show which I hope will open up debate about the relationship between art and text in contemporary practice.

HICA is  open on Sundays 2 – 5pm, or by appointment.

© Georgina Coburn, 2009

Links

• H.I.C.A.

HICA - Highland Institute for Contemporary Art, Dalcrombie, Loch Ruthven, until 30 November 2008

SITUATED 12 miles south of Inverness overlooking Loch Ruthven, HICA opened in August this year with Concrete Now!, a group exhibition by artists David Bellingham, Richard Couzins, Alec Finlay, Peter Suchin and Chris Tosic. A programme of exhibitions and publications are currently being planned for the artist-run space with the intention of “exploring the history and current influence of Concrete Art”, providing a creative hub and generating critical debate.

The principles of Concrete Art since Theo Van Doesburg’s 1930 manifesto have been explored in a variety of ways throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. The primary concern is with the painting (or other art forms such as sculpture, poetry or music) as an entity in its own right, stripped back to its pure plastic elements; planes, colour and form.

This type of geometrically abstract work explores the actual painting surface, can be inspired by scientific theory or mathematical formula and is resistant to traditional interpretation based on naturalistic representation or symbolism. In this way Concrete Art is a tradition reflected in movements such as Constructivism, Optical Art and Colourfield painting, and in the minimal approach of many contemporary art practices.

This latest show presents a selection of Peter Suchin’s smaller scale works from 1977 to 2006 exploring form, texture and colour in the Concrete sense but also investigating the framework through which we read a work of art. As a critic and contributor to publications such as Art Monthly, Frieze and Mute there is more at work in Suchin’s paintings than exploration of purely plastic elements. How these works relate both to the art world, the gallery space and the landscape beyond is an interesting line of enquiry that begs further investigation.

‘Miniaturisation is the Next Big Thing’ (Acrylic on board 2005) is a playful example reminiscent of the paintings of Gerard Richter. The place of artists such as Richter in the canon of art history and particularly within the art market presents a potential conflict of interest between the exploration of painting as craft and the market promotion of art as NOW.

The artist presents us with an ironic prototype, our contemporary obsession with the “Next Big Thing” cut down to size. Suchin’s humour is refreshing, as artist and critic he is fully aware of the dynamic between creative process and the fashionable art market. Rendering the image on an intimate scale in relation to its implied value and the proclamation of its title is an amusing twist.

It is also the first image to confront the viewer on entry to the gallery and a good choice by way of introduction to a show that is open in terms of how we might read the work. Removal of the subject through abstraction allows us to concentrate on the layering of paint, texture, colour and form, allowing the viewer to make their own associations.

There is an intriguing tendency in this show of giving the audience a fragment. ‘The Stephen Lee P.P’ (Acrylic on canvas 2003) and ‘The Balbec Line’ (Acrylic on canvas 2001) are obvious examples, but even a larger work such as ‘Small Accumulation Painting’ (Acrylic on Board, 1991) with its Pollock-like technique feels like a framed section of a much larger work.

The paint handling suggests the rapid and gestural movement we associate with Abstract Expressionism. However, the images are built up over a long period of time, completed when they reach what the artist describes as the “optimum moment”. Sometimes the moment is misjudged as in ‘An Endless Loop of Death’ or ‘In Castorp’s Castle’, both of which feel overworked, while other works such as ‘Non Location’ create a more convincing sense of balance between the plastic elements of the composition.

Overall Suchin’s palette is subdued – pattern, form and colour lead the eye rather gently into the work. Use of acrylic exhibits a natural tendency to mute colour, it doesn’t have the body and depth of oils. However, this suits the surface treatment very well and adds to the sense of stillness in much of the work.

Suchin’s selection of colour feels almost like that of domestic interior paint, an interplay play of cool and earthy hues. ‘Theatrical Conceit’ and ‘Non Location’ (both acrylics on board 2006) are good examples. In ‘Theatrical Conceit’ the composition comprised of broad flat areas of colour – rusted orange and grey tinged with green and blue – create balance in the work. In ‘Small Obliteration Painting’ (Acrylic on board, 1991) the paint is taken into the frame, layers of dots and horizontal striped textures emerging from underneath the picture plane.

‘Philosophical Painting’ (Acrylic on board, 1980) presents a vibration of dots in white, navy, pale blue and flesh tones like a swatch of Pointillism. In Concrete terms it’s a painting of optics, colour and form, uniquely of itself – it doesn’t refer directly to anything but layered paint, the actual picture plane and its title. It is a natural and compelling human tendency to see or search for meaning in images. and the painting’s title perhaps alludes to this, playing with the connection between the medium and the idea. In this way it is consciously composed within a framework of written and visual language, perhaps too consciously.

‘The Ticket That Imploded’ (Collage on board 1977) is the earliest work in the show and also the most finely balanced in terms of composition. The everyday found object torn in fragments creates a beautiful and subtle piece of work in white, brownish cream and yellow paper accented by darker typeface. The fragility of the aged paper is even more acute against the deep red wall on which it is displayed.

The juxtaposition of a white cube space in this location poses many questions culturally and aesthetically and it will be extremely interesting to see how the space develops. As a non-commercial venture accessibility, public engagement and involvement with local artists are some of the issues to be negotiated as the project evolves. With the artist present it was a pity that wider discussion did not take place around the exhibition opening. Such an event, if well publicised locally, would have been stimulating and a good introduction to the space.

HICA is open on Sundays from 2-5pm during exhibitions, or by appointment (see website link below)

© Georgina Coburn, 2008

Links

• HICA
• Additional images by Peter Suchin